Starbursts
by MariahajilE
Summary: A collection of flashfics for Twilight 25, Round 8.
1. Too Late

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
thetwilight25 dot com

Prompt: #12  
Pen Name: MariahajilE  
Pairing/Character(s): Edward/Bella  
Rating: M  
Word Count: 500

Photo prompts can be found here:  
thetwilight25 dot com/round-eight/prompts

* * *

Bella's body jolted as the front tires of her car hit the bumper. She scrambled to open her door as quickly as possible, forgetting to lock the car after she slammed her door close.

And then she ran.

She ran through the parking lot as fast as her legs could move, scanning the area for his car. The fact that she didn't see it almost made her come to a halt.

Almost.

She fumbled with her keys, trying to find the correct one to let her into Edward's building. She'd never had a problem finding it on the first try before, and she almost burst into tears at the frustration of not being able to find it now.

Once inside, she ran straight for the elevator, not even acknowledging Marcus at the security desk. She'd been in that building more times than she could count, so her presence was expected.

What Bella didn't see was the look of pity on his face as he watched her run, knowing full well what she was going to find.

"No. No no no no no. Fuck!"

Bella slapped the maintenance sign on the elevator door. She hit it again for good measure before she finally began to cry. Through blurry vision, she reached down, removed her flip-flops – not giving a fuck where they landed – and pushed through the door to the stairwell.

Barefoot, out of breath, and regretful, she ran up the stairs with every ounce of energy she had left. Every step echoed, every echo brought on a memory, and every memory made her push herself harder. Every time she passed a floor, the ache in her chest grew, the weight in her stomach became heavier, the pain in her head increased.

By the fourth floor, she was ready to give up. By the middle of the sixth floor, her determination had returned. By the time she burst through the seventh floor door, she was ready to throw up, the exertion of running up the stairs and the emotional turmoil too much for her body to take.

But she kept on running. She ran down the hall, past the elevators, and made the left turn she'd rounded many times before. Two doors down on the right is where her eyes fixated, where so many memories were made.

Every surprise breakfast in bed.

Every movie night.

Every rush out the door for work.

Every pant and scream and moan when he fucked her.

Every dinner with a family member.

Every blowjob in the kitchen.

Every silent treatment.

Every "I love you."

Every argument…

The air was violently pulled from Bella's lungs when she opened the door.

Everything was gone.

No yard sale sofa, no refrigerator drawings made by Emmett's daughter, no curtains sewed by Renee.

And as she walked into the kitchen, her eyes were drawn to the counter, to the piece of paper with Edward's handwriting, to the ring that sat beside it.

_I wish you would've let me love you._

* * *

Thanks be to MrsSpaceCowboy for pre-reading.


	2. Falling

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
thetwilight25 dot com

Prompt: #10  
Pen Name: MariahajilE  
Pairing/Character(s): Edward/Bella  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 500

Photo prompts can be found here:  
thetwilight25 dot com/round-eight/prompts

* * *

"Think anything like that could happen? Treasure maps and pirate ships?" she asks.

I smile and shrug, putting my hands in my pockets out of nervous habit. Bella leans into the well far enough that her feet are no longer on the ground, and the panic that something could happen to her is just out of reach when I notice she's holding on tight.

"Hey, you guys!" she yells into the well, her voice echoing off the walls.

She giggles and looks over at me, her feet going higher, kicking back and forth. Her hair's a mess, and her junior varsity cheerleader's uniform's covered in dirt.

She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

I know I'm staring. I know that she knows that I'm staring. I should stop and look away, but it's so hard. All I want to do is find out how soft her skin is, if her lips are as sweet as they look, if she could ever feel about me the way I feel about her.

The look she's giving me intensifies, and I know the staring has to be creeping her out. Just as I'm about to look away, she starts falling into the well.

I take two quick steps forward and grab her around the waist. I pull her up and out, her head just hitting the wooden beam. My heart's hammering a million miles a minute, because I can't remember the last time I was so scared.

"Are you okay?"

I turn her around to face me. She's starting to cry and looks shaken up.

"B?"

"I'm fine," she says as she reaches up to touch where she bumped her head.

"I'm sorry. The beam- I wasn't- I didn't-"

"Hey, it's okay. It's my fault. I should've been concentrating on not falling in instead of… Nothing. Nevermind."

"How's your head?"

I move closer to reach around and feel for the bump I'm assuming should be there. I know she should see a doctor in case it's serious, but I can't concentrate because she smells amazing, and her body's against mine, and it would be so easy to just… kiss her.

I pull back a little, and her face is_ right there_. We kind of just look at each other for a bit. She doesn't tell me to move back, but I'm probably making her uncomfortable, so I let go of her entirely and step back. I put my hands back in my pockets and look down.

"You should go see my dad. I didn't feel—"

"Why won't you kiss me?" she whispers.

My head pops up, because I _must_ be hearing things.

"What?"

She stands up a little taller, and her face becomes… determined.

"Why won't you kiss me? All this time, and nothing, Edward."

"You _want_ me to…"

The moment I see a smile begin to form on her beautiful face, I move toward her, move forward.

And I don't stop until I know the answers to my questions.

* * *

Thanks be to MrsSpaceCowboy for pre-reading.

I originally intended for Bella to fall in and not survive. I guess Edward wasn't having that. :)


	3. Come Home Soon

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
thetwilight25 dot com

Prompt: #25  
Pen Name: MariahajilE  
Pairing/Character(s): Edward/Bella  
Rating: M  
Word Count: 444

Photo prompts can be found here:  
thetwilight25 dot com/round-eight/prompts

* * *

"I'm so happy you called," Bella replied, trying to keep from crying.

She missed Edward more than she could stand sometimes, but she wanted what little time they had on the phone to be happy.

"Me, too, baby. And just think. The next time I call, it'll be with a date and time to pick me up from the airport."

"Thank God," she sighed.

As proud as she was of him for enlisting, she was thankful his time in Afghanistan was finally over. Bella had heard the stories of fathers, husbands, sons, and brothers lost, of the battles that had claimed their lives, of the unspeakable grief families had endured. The thought of him being over there, of possibly being hurt or worse…

"I can't wait til you're here. I'm taking you out to eat the biggest steak the state of Washington has to offer. And sex! We're having lots and lots of sex. I'm talking wall sex and on-top-of-the-kitchen-table sex and shower sex and defiling-the-couch sex and other kinds of sex that haven't even been invented yet."

_I should write these down_.

"Does that mean you're still gonna marry me?"

"You bet your sweet ass I am," she said, toying with her engagement ring.

"Good."

Just then, Bella heard a car pull into her driveway.

"It's about time," she mumbled.

"What?"

"I ordered a pizza over an hour ago. The delivery guy just got here."

"I see your cooking skills haven't changed," he joked. "You still attached to the microwave? Have you even figured out how to turn the stove on?"

"Hey! I'll have you know my mac and cheese capabilities have gotten better," she laughed.

She grabbed some cash from her purse and made her way to the door after hearing the doorbell.

"Besides, you're gonna have to get used to it. Delivery's the only thing that's gonna happen once you get home, because I'm not letting you out of bed for a while, mister. Remember? We're having all the sex," she said as she opened the door.

"Do you wanna start now or wait until your pizza gets here?" Edward asked, smiling at her beautiful, shocked face.

"Edward?" Bella whispered, still holding her phone to her ear.

"Surprise," he chuckled.

His laughter died down as he looked her over and his eyes began to water.

"I almost forgot how beautiful you are."

Skype could never do his girl justice.

"Oh, my God! Edward!"

Bella dropped her cell and jumped on him and into his arms, immediately bursting into tears, wetting his uniform.

Edward held her close, tightly, as he reacquainted himself with the feel of her body against his.

"I'm home."

* * *

Thanks be to MrsSpaceCowboy for pre-reading.

Never forget.

Chapter title + writing music: youtu . be / 4x2UlfwxorU


End file.
